Telling the Untold
by Matukesha
Summary: 12 years after The Ocarina of Time, a new fight begins. One, that isn't fought by Link, but by a new hero.
1. Fortelling

Ciarra was standing alone; alone in the dark. ShadowFire was gone, Malon and her father were gone, everyone and everything was gone. She turned around. All around her was nothing. Until she looked up.

Above her was the most hideous thing she had ever seen; too horrible for words. It was some sort of spirit that kept changing form right before her eyes. It was coming towards her now.

Ciarra started running through the darkness, through the pitch-black nothingness, until sparks of fire started raining down upon her. It didn't burn; she didn't feel anything, but what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. She was slowly disappearing into the nothing that was surrounding her.

Ciarra woke up.

She blinked a few times and sat up.

"That was terrible..."She thought. Terrible, yes. New, no. She had been having these dreams for 3 years now.

Ciarra got up and looked around the guest room of Malon's ranch house. She got dressed into one of the few outfits she had: a simple, semi-short, black skirt with black tights underneath. Her shirt was simple and also black, with a wide, raggedy looking collar. She opened the door, stopped, and touched the one thing on her that never changed: her locket. It was a hexagon of white gold with gold and silver markings around the sides. In the middle was an amethyst, her birthstone.

As Ciarra walked down the stairs Malon appeared in the doorway of her room. She rubbed her eyes and gave Ci-Ci a questioning look. Ciarra nodded at her.

No one heard the galloping of Shadow-Fire's diamond-hard hooves as he carried his master to the very edge of Hyrule field. They were going to see a psychic who never reviled his name and was thought to be a madman. Despite this, he always had advice foe Ciarra and a carrot for ShadowFire.

When they arrived he was awake. He had foreseen they're arrival. Ciarra explained her dream like she did almost every night, but tonight the psychic's answer was different. It had meaning, and it touched Ciarra so that she had no courage to ask questions.

"Your locket holds the key to both yours and the strange evil that befalls Hyrule's destiny. You have it, he wants it; a simple plan indeed, but only to the simple-minded. You must go to see your mother. She will tell you. Take friends, and many, for the journey will not end there. It will be long and tedious, and companions are more than necessary. Do not disobey; the fate of Hyrule, your destiny, and the lives of so many people rest on your shoulders."

Matiyan was walking to lon-lon ranch to get his favorite milk. He saw Malon and everyone else, but didn't recognize one girl. "Who is that?" he asked Malon "That's Ciarra, my ranch guest and friend." Replied Malon "She's a little up tight, so don't ask many questions."

He went to the stable and watched Gorman milk the cows. Ciarra was still siting there, motionless. The wind gust that would blow like the rushing tide blew her hair to one side. It shined like gold in white-hot sun of the beautiful summer day. Of the many people he saw, her skin tone looked like someone from a far off land, almost Gerudo! He drank his deliciously pasteurized milk and was refreshed. 'Why must I be the person to hold the fate of Hyrule?' Ciarra thought, 'Why is it I?'

"Madam?"

Ciarra came back to reality, "What?" she said,

"Who are you, madam?" Matiyan asked

"I'm Ciarra, but people call me Ci-Ci for short." She replied.

'This person seems so familiar,' Matiyan thought, 'but, who is it?'


	2. The Secret

It had been about a year since Ci-Ci met Matiyan. She actually became friends with him. She had been at lon-lon ranch for a while now, but then, Matiyan shakily asked, "Would you like to go to the Marketplace and the castle with me tonight?" Ci-Ci thought for a moment and replied, "I'd be honored to."

That night at the Marketplace, Matiyan was siting on an oak bench, waiting. He started to here a familiar voice cry for help in the distance. Matiyan rushed faster than the wind to see what was going on, and there stood a band of Gerudo thieves attacking Ci-Ci!

"Quiet, give us all your money or you're dead!" one of the thieves demanded,

"I've only got 20 rupees." Ci-Ci replied,

"Not good enough."

The Gerudo raised her sword about to attack, but then, out of no where, Matiyan came, "Get away from her, or I'll report you." He threatened, "To who, kid?" The Gerudo said. They paused and he said "My sword."

Matiyan slowly pulled the Giant Slayer out of its sheath and confidently said, "Walk away, crawl away. Your choice."

Immediately the thieves ran at Matiyan. He took the sword and swung it, but missed and hit the building. A part of the structure fell down! The thieves saw the power of the Giant Slayer and ran for their lives. "Are you okay, Ci-Ci?" Matiyan asked, "Yes." she replied, "I can't thank you enough. I owe you my life." "Let's just go." He said.

"Yes, okay," Ci-Ci replied, still a little shaken, but not entirely because of the attack. It was very clear to her that those were Gerudo thieves... Could this have been a sign relating to her old friend's prophecy?  
"Oh well," she thought to herself. These matters should only be spoken of when she was alone. As much as she liked and trusted Matiyan, she hadn't told him about her visit with the psychic, or what he had said. This, in her opinion, was enough to scare anyone away.  
But this was probably just her inability to trust people. When you're alone for that long, you learn to only trust yourself.  
Even so, she took a strong liking to Matiyan, stronger then she wanted to, but she couldn't help it.

Ci-Ci and Matiyan were almost at the gates to the city. As they were about to enter, something clicked inside of Ci-Ci.  
Involuntarily taking Matiyan's hand, she pulled him into the shadows made by the high walls that surrounded the Marketplace and castle.  
She didn't realize that she was holding Matiyan's hand for a while. Blushing, she let go.  
"I'm sorry," she began, "it's just that...I've been meaning to tell you something. I think that those thieves were a sign of some sort. You've become my best friend, and I trust you as much as I trust myself, but if I were to tell you something right now, could you keep it a secret?"  
A cold shiver went throughout Ciarra's body. Just thinking about that strange prophecy made her wish she'd never heard it. She just wanted to forget it. Ci-Ci could never imagine herself saving the world-or anything at all, for that matter. But still, if Matiyan helped her, she could do whatever it was she had to do. Even face her mother again... "Yes, you can tell me any thing." Matiyan replied, "What is it, Ci-Ci?" by this point Matiyan was wondering what was going on. 'Why is she holding my hand? Is she scared? What could this sign be?' were just a few thoughts running in his head. Ci-Ci gathered her courage and said, " I've had this dream for about 4 years now. And, a monster is above me. It chases me into nothingness, and no one is around to do anything. I hate it!" They stood there for a bit, "Why does that trouble you?" Matiyan replied, "I, just don't like it." Though she told him that much, the prophecy couldn't be yet spoken. "Do you think it means some thing?" he asked, "I, don't want to talk about it." She said, "That's okay. Let's go before the night is over." After all that Ci-Ci almost forgot why they where there.

The place was awesome, and lavish beauty made the market. The sapphire and ruby roof's shined in the moonlight. But the castle was no different. The marble stones of gray looked as hard as diamonds, spires of red made the moon glisten. "Wow!" Matiyan exclaimed, "The hour grows late. Let's sleep at the inn."

That night, Matiyan got up, but Ci-Ci was still asleep. He was walking by her room, when he saw a symbol on the locket! I looked like:  
. ..  
TSH'RE  
It was something in old Hylian most likely. But, what could it mean?

Ciarra woke up and immediately broke into a cold sweat. Where was she? How did she get here? She couldn't seem to remember anything after that dream.  
Then she saw Matiyan in the doorway of the room that she was staying in, and it all came flooding back to her.  
Ci-Ci, half lying on her side, propped herself up on one elbow, causing her dark hair to fall around her face like a funeral veil.  
She caught a glimpse of Matiyan passing her doorway, and called out to him in a whisper.  
"Matiyan? What's wrong?"

"There were markings," Matiyan replied "on your locket. Old Hylian writing that I couldn't read." "Markings?" Ci-Ci asked, "That's strange, do you know anyone who can read Hylian?" "No," he replied, "but I heard of a person who could help us: The Great Fairy at the Fairy Fountain. I've heard some Gorons say that that they heard it! But," he paused, "it's on Death Mountain. The way is always gated off, and I don't know of another way."

They walked back to the ranch, gloomily. The little hope they had seemed lost, and the black and gray smoke of Death Mountain made it worse. As the two walked, a small person bumped into Matiyan. She looked as the Kokiri did but had a sword! "Pardon me." She said, " But I 'm looking for a job, can I help with anything?" "Well," Matiyan began "you can help us, but I'll need your name." "Lan." She replied, "My name is Lan."

"Okay Lan." He said, " we need to go to Death Mountain. Do you know a way?" "Yes," she replied " Yes I do."

Ciarra introduced herself to Lan, but not without noticing the strange feeling in her stomach. Right now she didn't want to be bothered by some Kokiri claiming to know how to get to Death Mountain. As a matter of fact, she didn't really want to go to Death Mountain. But perhaps it was her destiny, and it was impossible to cheat destiny.  
"Matiyan," she whispered," Are you sure?" The Kokiri hearing her wasn't much of a problem, since there was a great difference in height.  
"Sure of what?" he replied.  
"About going to death mountain, about my locket, about all...all this! Why are you so concerned about my locket? And should we trust this girl-"  
"Lan. Her name is Lan," he interrupted.  
"Yes, of course, but how do you know that we can trust her?"

Ciarra wasn't just saying this to get out of the long trip to Death Mountain or to avoid getting her locket read. In the time she had spent alone, she'd learned not to trust everyone as soon as you meet him or her. What Matiyan was doing now was-by her rules and standards-completely insane.

"Well," He replied, "why shouldn't we? I'm willing to do anything to find out what it means."  
"Well," Lan started, "the way is in the lost woods, so I'll have to guide. Stay close, my kin don't like outsiders much."  
That really made Ci-Ci mad. Not only did she have to trust Lan, but she also had to FOLLOW her. It seemed crazy to her, but, to her own surprise, she agreed to go. So they went to the Kokiri village and had some things thrown at them and, not just words.

'Get out of here' and 'Take my hat, why don't you' Where just a few things they said especially at Ci-Ci. They had seen Ganondorf's destruction of Hyrule, so they didn't like Gerudos much. After having words, and pots, thrown they were in the lost wood

After walking for what seemed like hours, Ciarra had had it. Especially when they passed a very familiar tree. Or at least that would be her story, even if they hadn't seen the tree before. She knew how similar trees looked...she just needed an excuse. Letting her temper get the best of her, she stepped in front of Lan, crossing her arms and blocking the way.

"Lan, dear," she began in an obviously fake sweet, motherly tone," would you mind explaining why we've passed this tree four times already!?" She held her hand out towards the tree like a game show host would present the grand prize. "We've been in the cursed forest for hours, and we've passed this tree a few times. I'm a smart girl; smart enough to know that we're lost."

"Ci-Ci. we're not-"Lan began, but was soon cut off.

"Yes we are! And it's either "Ciarra" or "Miss" to you. I didn't even want to come here in the first place, and I didn't want to trust you, but I did. And see what happens? I also didn't feel like being insulted, "she continued," even though, believe it or not, I'm not even related to Ganon."

Ci-Ci turned away as a tear formed in the corner of her eye and made its way down her face, dripping off onto the mossy, leaf covered ground.

"I don't want to have my locket read, and I don't want to know anything about the painful nightmare that is my past."

Flashing one more quick, pained look at Matiyan, she ran off into the dense continuations of the Lost Wood, not thinking, or caring ,if she ever saw either of them again. She was mad at Lan,f or getting them into this, and Matiyan, for ignoring her pleas and letting them get dragged into this. She had trusted him, much to her own dislike, and most likely would never trust anyone again.

Stopping to rest, she sat on a tree stump, realizing the horrible reality she had cast herself into. Now she was lost. She had known that they weren't lost in the first place. She was just upset and looking for an excuse to start letting out her anger on Lan. But now she was lost, both physically and emotionally, and she wished she hadn't don't what she had done. Strangely enough, she missed Matiyan. She just wanted to be near him again, and she hoped that he wasn't mad at her and was searching for her right now. Ciarra whispered his name to somehow reassure herself, to tell herself that everything would be all right, just as it always was when he was around.

But then, as if an answer to her prayers, two figures emerged from the lining of the clearing. Ciarra's breath caught in her throat as she jumped up.

"Thank you…I'm sorry...so, so sorry..."she managed to say. She ran up to Matiyan and locked her arms around him. At that moment in time she didn't care what he or Lan thought. She wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"Uh, Ci-Ci, you can let go now." Matiyan said kind of surprised.  
" Okay," she replied.  
They walked and came back to village. "What?" Lan said, "How'd we…" she thought then said, "Oh, we walked the wrong way, BUT," as if at Ci-Ci, "I found a shorter way when we found you, so we can get there faster."

They followed her until they found a rock formation. They walked through it and then saw Goron City. It was full of vivid life like a rose field in springtime. It was of strange design. It was in Death Mountain and very warm at that. Then Matiyan remembered what he read once.  
'The 7 sages were of the tribes of Hyrule' he thought, 'Grass of the Kokiri, Fire of the Goron…' this is where the sage of fire once lived! The three asked a Goron if he knew where the Great Fairy was. He said that you had to climb the mountain. They started up it and Ci-Ci had some thoughts. 'Wow. Lan… was right. Matiyan was right. And I think, I want to have this read now."

They started up the mountain, with Ci-Ci still thinking. Maybe Lan wasn't so bad. Ciarra definitely owed her a sincere apology.

But along with her thoughts of guilt came thoughts of frustration. Matiyan was her friend, and obviously nothing more. However years of always getting her way with her father made her even more determined, and she wasn't giving up.

Eventually they cam to a break in the vertical climb. Ciarra nervously looked down from the narrow ledge that she was standing on. Everything was so small from here...and so scary. The few Gorons she could see were but mere dots on the barren landscape.

They moved slowly, their backs to the wall. They were almost done with their spiral ascent when Ciarra heard a loud cry from overhead, that of a bird, and a very large one at that. She looked up, careful to keep her balance.

The bird was a hideous thing, not meant for their world. In fact, Ciarra wasn't exactly sure if it could be called a bird. Its feathers were of several dark colors, its wings ragged and torn, evidence that this bird was very experienced in fighting...and killing.

It began a lightening fast descent down towards Ciarra, who was obviously offending it with her stare. She drew her sword, ready to fight it, but was taken by surprise when it swooped down under her, knocking her off the cliff.

As her heart skipped a beat, she thought fast and shoved her sword into the side of the mountain. Devising a makeshift plan in her mind she calmed herself and waited for the beast's return.

When it neared her Ciarra grabbed a nearby branch, hoping it would hold her, and pulled her sword out from beneath her with her dangling feet. She reached down with her free hand and retrieved it just in time for her eyes to meet her charging opponent's.

Using her sword as best she could with her one hand, she sent the bird flying with a blow from the flat of her sword, as oppose to slicing it. Knocked unconscious by the blow to the head, it fell straight down, just as Ciarra would have if it had not been for her quick thinking.

Ciarra sheathed her sword hoping there weren't any more of this creature nearby. Grasping the strong branch firmly with her now free hand, she called up to Matiyan and Lan. "A little help here...! Please!?"

"Here you go." Matiyan said politely.  
"Thanks." She replied.  
When they made it to the top, he got a rope he made, tied it to his sword handle, and stabbed the blade into the ground. The three walk into the cave and saw the fountain. It was beautiful with the reflecting water shining and shimmering. Its walls were lined with red and blue fuzz.  
"Hello there." A beautiful voice said,  
"Who's there?" Ci-Ci replied  
"I'm the great fairy, and you wish to see me, right?" she then came out and had red long hair. She had to have been 9 feet high and was the most beautiful sight they had seen.   
"Yes," Ci-Ci replied again, "I have this locket, it sometimes has ancient Hylian writing on it. Do you know what it says."  
"Toshare a smboe (to-sh-r a sm-bo) that means 'Hakroesa is here' and 'Hakroesa' is translated to 'Haksa'. An evil man who is said to have been a magician taught by the king. Then the sprit of Ganon himself over took him and he went to Termina and reeked havoc on the land. Legend has it a man from the line of the royal, but not the hero of time, is the only one who can slay him. This is a sign that you have or will soon meet this  
person."   
"So," Matiyan asked, "what do we do now?"  
" You go to Termina and find this man."


	3. A Delayed Journey

Sakura Kaziama: If you could tell me your aim screen name, if you have one, I'll tell you everything you need to know. Haksa was the best I could come up with at the time, but I was 11 then, so I don't know.

Crazy Tomboy: It's hard to teach something that you can't do. If that makes any sense.

Once they all down at the foot of the mountain, Ci-Ci leaned against the cold, hard rock wall. She didn't want to kill this man, and even if she was the one chosen for the job, she still didn't want to go to Termina. She wanted to stay right there. She didn't want anything to change, because, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was deathly afraid of change.

Standing there she looked deep into Matiyan's eyes, thinking that at least she would be with him on this journey, and was then reminded of Lan. If she had to go to Termina, she hoped it would at least be without this little pest. She had just come along and ruined everything. How she despised her...

Ciarra then remembered the old man, the hermit who had told her that she must go to her mother. They would have to go see her mother at the Gerudo Fortress in Termina. Obviously her mother knew something about this wretched man who they were out to destroy. The man who was ruining everything for her and not even knowing it. The man who she already hated...

"Matiyan, I-"

Her voice stopped as she realized that she has not yet told him about the man's prophecy. And so she did, whether she had been prepared for it or not. From her travel to Hyrule with her father as a baby, to her father's death. From the beginning of her times with Malon to the night when she heard the prophecy. She told him everything. Without hesitation. She knew what she had to do, and she did it.

Once she was finished, she paused, making sure she had covered everything. Ciarra was quite sure she had, and was a little embarrassed at how long she had been talking.

"So we have to go see my mother...she's at the Gerudo Pirate Fortress in Termina. That means we'll have to get a boat of some sort, and them we'll be off. I haven't seen her in so long...

"But I do have but one request. I want to go back to get Shadow Fire. I've known him for so long, I practically raised him...he's my companion...I...I...oh..."

Suddenly Ci-Ci stopped her explanations and bowed her head, hiding her face. She had unintentionally remind herself of the times before her father had passed on. That had probably been the third time that day, and, although she knew how much of a crybaby she was being, she couldn't take much more. She didn't want to go to Termina, she had never wanted her locket read, she couldn't stand behind near Lan one more horrible second of her life which was slowly falling apart from its already tattered state. On this quest to have her locket read it had seemed like no one cared for her, y for her locket, and now she was finding out that she probably wouldn't even play an important role in this journey they were about to embark on. And to top everything off, Matiyan hadn't even noticed her attempts to show him how she really felt.

She knew that she'd have to get herself together soon, but now all she wanted was to be held...

"Ci-Ci, are you okay?" Matiyan said quietly.

"Y-Yes Matiyan." She replied, getting better, "ShadowFire is at lon-lon ranch. And I'm not going back through that path."

"Okay," he replied, "I think the guard changes soon so we can sneak by when they change."

They saw they're chance and got over the fence, that is, all except Lan. Ci-Ci didn't want to help her, she thought this was the perfect opportunity to make a miserable journey less miserable. Ci-Ci ran to dodge the guard, but she saw that Matiyan had gone back and got Lan over. She was running when the guard grabbed Matiyan and brought him to the jail.

"This is all your fault!" Ci-Ci yelled at Lan, "If you had never came with us in the first place, this never would have happened! Now, go back to your stupid little tribe, and if never see you again, it will be to soon!"

Lan was shocked and ran faster than a horse to a fountain on a hot summer day. Ci-Ci then went to the village and tried to get Matiyan out. The guard thought that she was with him when he jumped (and he was right).

He grabbed her and threw her in the cell next to him.

"Ci-Ci!" Matiyan said astonished, "What happened? Why are you in here? Where's Lan?"

"She…" Ci-Ci replied, "Left. She said you were a nuisance and didn't want anything to do with you."

"Wow." He said, "She wasn't all that bad. I mean, how many Kokiri do you see with a sword?

Ci-Ci didn't know what he meant. She was feeling a little bad about lying and was going to tell him the truth when a guard yelled, "Ci-Ci and Matiyan, come to the court. You're to be tried for disobeying authority.

Ciarra stood for a moment, not saying a word. She sure as heck wasn't going to court. She knew that they were guilty, and would be charged as guilty. What was so bad about jumping a fence anyway? Why were there even guards there?

Ciarra did realize that she had been a little hard on Lan, but that was the least of her worries at that moment. She didn't feel bad about it all, for what she said had been true. None of this would've happened if she had stayed with her tribe. Although she didn't want to admit it, part of the reason she hated Lan so much was because of Matiyan. She wanted him all to herself, which wasn't something to be proud of as it showed how selfish she could be at times, but that was just Ciarra.

As two guards walked her and Matiyan to the courtroom, plan began to formulate in Ciarra's mind. She relaxed her shoulders so as to appear less aggressive, and the guards loosened his grip on her. Looking quickly behind her she saw their weapons towards the front of the room, lying against a wall. If she could just make a run for it, hopefully Matiyan would follow.

When the time came, she broke away from the guard completely, turning and kneeing him in the gut. Ciarra then slipped past him, hearing the shouts of the guard who had been restraining Matiyan. She hoped that he had seen his opportunity and ran just as she had when the guard's attention had been taken off of him, but she wasn't about to look back. For now, she was only looking out for herself. Her earlier attempts at showing him how she felt had been for nothing so why look out for him now. Of course, if he didn't make it, Ciarra would go back for him. Her conscience wouldn't allow her to leave him.

Without stopping Ciarra leaned over as she passed the wall and grabbed her sword, swinging it over her back, where it was supposed to be. And with that she continued running until she was safely concealed in the forest, only then stopping to rest, sitting down and leaning against the tree. And only then did she look back for Matiyan.

Matiyan was running like the horse that they were going to get. He sort of thought it was dishonorable, but he knew they would never get to Termina in time in jail.

"We… need… to get… a boat." Matiyan panted then paused to catch his breath, "it might be a little expensive though, and your horse, were is it anyway?"

"At the ranch," Ciarra replied, "and, I might have a pay check Malon hasn't paid me yet."

Ciarra felt really bad now for lying to Matiyan. The thought that Ci-Ci had was that she could slide Matiyan thinking she hated Lan (even if she did) by saying she would be useful.

"You know," she said slyly, " Lan might actually be of some use. She is quite small, no? She could reach some thing that you and I can't reach."

"You're right." Matiyan replied, "She can't hate me that much can she? Okay, time to go to the forest. And, Ci-Ci, stay behind."

"No problem." she replied.

Ciarra sat with her back against a tree, waiting for Matiyan to come back, and hopefully with Lan. It wasn't that she felt all that sorry for the way that she had treated the Kokiri, it was that she felt bad for lying to Matiyan.

He was so nice, and had even saved her life...in more ways than he would ever know. Thanks to him she actually had a goal in life, a reason to live. Sure, this seemed a little desperate, maybe even over-emotional, but it was true. He had become her very best friend over this past year, and now it seemed that they were about to embark on the biggest adventure either of them had ever seen.

Ciarra knew not how long she had been waiting, but she heard a rustling in the bushes, and knew that it must be Matiyan. Or she hoped it was...

"Hey, Ci-Ci!" Matiyan said as he popped out of the bushes, " I got Lan and ShadowFire, but Malon said you have to get the paycheck yourself."

"Odd," she replied, "you'd think she'd trust you more than that. Oh well, let's go."

It was a dark day. The sky was gray with rain coming and some bolts of lightning. They were far away from the field, but still as loud as a swarm of rolling Gorons. Malon greeted them with accommodations for the night.

The sleep in a bed was great for all of them, and Ci-Ci was able to get to sleep. The next morning, she got 200 rupees from Malon. They left for the docks and did some business with the seller.

"Well hello there," he greeted, "what's a lad like you need a boat fer?

"My friend here has family in Termina and we would like to meet her." Matiyan said, though not lying, "I think well need a small but somewhat large ship. Only 3 passengers, but we might have 4, 5, or 6 on the way back."

"Well, the hi-land model might be good fer yuse." He replied, "it gots 2 decks and a hold with two 10 foot sails. Yer lookin' at 'bout, 400 rupees.

"Deal!" Matiyan exclaimed, "here you go." Nobody believed it, but Matiyan had saved up 500 rupees! The ship was perfect for the trio, it had the room they needed and it wasn't too big or small. When they set sail they thought of a name that all would remember. "The Lander."

Ciarra stood on the top deck of The Lander, leaning against the railing that separating her from the where she was standing and the ocean below, smothered in shadows and darkness from the night sky. She was beginning to feel more at home with Lan now and hardly objected to her coming along.

She played absentmindedly with the locket around her neck, the locket that had led her into this insane mess. Still playing with her necklace she looked up at the star scattered sky. It was beautiful...simply beautiful. Ciarra felt at home surrounded by the night then blinded by the day.

She could hear ShadowFire happily chomping away at his dinner, even at the distance that was between her and the horses quarters. How nice it would be to be a horse...so carefree, only knowing the feeling of a rider on your back and maybe a few unimportant others.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden deck startled her from her daydreams. Ciarra turned around, supporting herself with her hands behind her on the railing. Just as she had suspected, the footsteps had belonged to Matiyan. They had been too loud to belong to Lan, and besides, she knew that the Kokiri was fast asleep.

"Hello..."she said, not knowing what else to say.

"So, Ci-Ci." Matiyan started, " I was wondering, did you want to go on this journey? Because it seems like you don't like change."

"You're right," she replied, "I hate change. Ever since I lost my father, it was so…hard. I couldn't stand it. Haksa is the man who killed my father. He must have."

She clenched her locket with hatred. She knew that this soulless man made her grief and she already wanted to kill him at first sight. Matiyan looked at her locket and asked: "Who gave you that locket?"

"My father did," she replied, "it was a gift. He said, 'when you're alone, and feel like there is no hope, if you have this, you will never panic over the small things, and have strength in hard times.'

"What about your mother, did she ever give you anything?"

"I, don't know," She stated, "I never knew my mother. She didn't want me to live the life of a pirate, so she went to Termina, to live with her kind."

"Oh my," he started, "that's terrible. My mother and my father are alive, but they work for the king and seem to never be done. I used to live at the castle and what a glorious time it was. I was taught swordplay from birth. Then things got tough when something my parents went away to do something and instead of taking me with them, they dropped me in the middle of the field."

"Wow. What happened after that?"

"I don't remember."

" I might my mother again, but… I… what if she…died?"

Matiyan felt terrible. She was worried she'd never see her again. She then fell into Matiyan's arms. He was kind of astonished and realized she'd fallen asleep. He carried her to the sleeping quarters and he went to sleep himself, knowing they had a long day tomorrow.

Ciarra awoke to the feeling of warm sunlight across her face. At first the rocking motion startled her, but she then remembered where she was. But how had she gotten to her quarters? The last thing she remembered from the night before was being held awkwardly by Matiyan. It was a nice thing to be remembering, and she realized that he had carried her here.

Yawning Ciarra swung her legs over the side of the bunk and stretched quickly before standing up. She made her way to were ShadowFire was being kept and said her "good mornings" to him, afterwards giving him his breakfast and having her own.

Finally, after promising the horse that she'd be back later, Ciarra went out onto the top deck and spotted Matiyan at the wheel. Lan was standing nearby, and Ciarra greeted the girl with a quick wave. Nothing more, and nothing less, a show of indifference towards her. But indifference was better than hate.

Ciarra walked towards Matiyan, unsure of how he would react to her presence after the night before. His eyes seemed to be on the azure sea lain out before the Lander, and so she would have to get his attention.

"'Morning, Matiyan, "she said cheerfully. "Or should I say, 'Captain'". How much longer till we reach our destination?"

"Oh, about two hours till we see the bay, and bout one after that to land. So, how did you sleep?"

"Good, Matiyan. You?"

"Fine. I had a hard time waking, though. Till we see land, maybe you and Lan could get your things and bring them to the top."

"Aye, aye, captain." the girls said.

"You really don't have to do that."

So a few hours past and they came about a league from land. "LAND, HO!" Matiyan cried in a loud, deep voice. The place was great with splendor and wide with beauty. The trio would have named it 'The Great Bay' if that wasn't already its name. The Zora dived out and in to the water without a care on their mind. They at last reached the shore, and jumped on to the sand and carried their luggage on the shore.

"Hello there, newcomers." A boy greeted, "What brings you to this corner of the world?"

"We wish to meet a member of my friend's family." Matiyan replied, "do you know where the Gerudo pirates are?"

"Oh," he replied, "you shouldn't be messing with pirates. They're bad folk and attack merchant ships before they can return fire. They're behind that cove. You've been warned.

Ciarra rolled her bright brown eyes as she patted ShadowFire's nose. He set it affectionately on her shoulder and snorted playfully.

To be honest, Ciarra really didn't worry about being attacked. It never crossed her mind that she probably wouldn't be remembered or recognized as the Princess of the Gerudos. Perhaps it was the workings of the fresh, bay air that filled her lungs and the sunlight warming her air and skin.

Looking over at Matiyan, her eyes brighter than ever be for with her happiness, she spoke out for nearly the first time that morning.

"Don't bother listening to him. If we're attacked, we'll just pull out my locket. It may prove to be useful after all..."

"I always knew that it was useful," Matiyan replied, "but I never thought it would bring us here."

They knew what they had to do but there was a problem: the entrance wasn't there. The three looked with dismay at the door-less cove. They saw a wandering Zora and asked, "how do you get into the fortress?" He told them that a hole in the cove led to it. He gave them a ride on his back to the opening but when Ci-Ci went to go under, she slipped from his back and hit the top of the cove! But Matiyan saw it and jumped into the water. He held his breath and saw Ci-Ci unconscious against the hole. He grabbed her and got the water out of her mouth.

"You saved me," she said after a few coughs, "thank you."

"Just doing what I'm suppose to, now let's find your mother."

"Just doing what he's supposed to do?" Ciarra wondered, not bothering to say her thoughts out loud. It probably didn't mean much anyway.

After her near death experience, Ciarra realized how dangerous a switch in personality could be. She decided that she'd just stay her old, half-depressed self. Things seemed to work much better that way. After all, worrying occupied her mind.

The three companions got off of the Zora's back and climbed up onto a rock. The cove that they were in looks so familiar, yet so threatening to Ciarra. The group would definitely be hard to spot in the position that they were in, but each time one of the guards' patrol boats passed close by them a chill ran down Ciarra's spine.

Matiyan, Ciarra, and Lan started in towards the fortress quite sneakily at first. That is, until they were inside and the guards were less dense, and in the places where the guards were dense they weren't paying much mind to what was happening around them.

Although she didn't remember anything about this place, Ciarra took it upon herself to lead her companions through the maze-like structure. Before long the were crawling through something like a ventilation system, and Ciarra stopped to look through one of the vents. Sitting on an elaborately made chair was a woman, apparently not too old but old enough to have the responsibility of Queen of the Gerudo Pirates.

"Mother..."she mouthed absentmindedly. She started to crawl forward, not thinking much, and the pressure applied by her hand broke the vent cover. With a squeal of surprise Ciarra came tumbling down and landed with a "thump" on the floor in the room she had just been staring down into. Before she could react two guards, female ones, seized her upper arms tight enough to cause pain. Both had swords, and more guards with swords as well stood in front of her, blocking her view of apparently the queen Gerudo.

Once again she was trapped.

"This one looks like fellow Gerudo." Remarked a guard, "if I didn't know better I'd say she's the princess."

Ci-Ci face throbbed with pain. Her arm was scraped very bad and her leg was bleeding. The guards knew that she was Gerudo so they tended to her wounds immediately. The queen then saw her.

"Ciarra," she said, "Ciarra is that you?"

"Y-y-yes," Ci-Ci replied, "yes mother.

"Ciarra, when I found out about your father I thought you died too. Oh, I'm so glad you're back. So, how did you get here?"

"You can come out now," she yelled at Lan and Matiyan, "It's okay now."

The two dropped out one at a time. First Matiyan, then he caught Lan. The two saw Ci-Ci's mother but Matiyan said "Cianna? You…you're the one who taught me in the field."

"Matiyan? Wow, I never thought I'd see you again"

It seemed like a great reunion but then they had to tell them what they had to do now.

"You two...know each other...?"Ciarra said quietly.

Yet she decided to forget it. There were more important matters to attend to.

"Mother...I...there's...someone. Trying to take over the world. I was told this, and many other things, by a man who is thought to be insane, and yet I know he isn't. I know he...sees things.

But that was back in Hyrule. Back where I met Matiyan." she paused to gaze at him, accidentally blushing as she did so.

"And we have to…to work together, with Lan, our friend, to save the world. But we don't know where to begin. We thought that maybe you could help us. And open my locket, too...Besides, I've got problems of my own..."


	4. Land of Hope

The four set out on their adventure to defeat this evil man. They knew what they must do, but Matiyan wanted to stop at Clock Town to get supplies and stop for the night. The town was a sight for sore eyes to the group. All the buildings were huge and covered with shining splendor. Winter had begun and the town was ready for that day coming soon. The Carnival of Time was around for one day only, but still large and attracted many people.

They knew the legend of when the hero of time came there and saved the place from destruction, but that is another story.

"Wow,' Cianna said, "of the many things I've seen on my many journeys, this is the best."

"You mean," Ciarra started, "you've never been here before?"

"It's a lot harder to be a pirate than people say," Cianna replied, "no one likes us. Who would want to see a stealing pirate just walking down the road?"

This made sense to them all, so they continued to go get supplies.

Galcian leaned on a building in Clock Town with an accomplice of his, Enrique. Enrique wasn't much of a fighter, but he could shoot the eyes off of a fly in the dark. He caught sight of a pirate walking with two kids.

"That them?" he said to Enrique without looking at him.

"That's the assignment," he replied in the same way.

There was step next to him and his head jerked that way. A second later a Zora squirmed by him. Galcian rolled his eyes and continued to watch the kids from behind his shades.

The four saw him and asked," can we help you?"

"I apologize..." he answered, "You wouldn't happen to be a pirate...?"

Cianna hesitated to answer.

"Nevermind," Galcian said quickly, "I'd just like to welcome you to... this... town. What brings you here...?"

"We're just travelers," Matiyan replied, "we heard about the carnival of time and thought we would visit. Oh and I haven't introduced you to us: This is Ciarra, her mother, Cianna, this is Lan and I'm Matiyan. What are you doing here?"

Galcian raised his brows a bit in an attempt to look thoughtful and surprised. He shot a quick look at Enrique.

"My friend over there lives here," he said." We're old friends from..."--Galcian tried to look as though he were remembering something--"...from... ah, well, we're old friends, lets just leave it at that."

They would probably believe that it was some painful memory of where they supposedly met. He was stupid to have taken it that far; it was completely pointless.

"Ah... well, enjoy your stay... ah... here," he said, reaching out for the kid's hand. He acted awkward and uncomfortable.

Matiyan was wondering why he seemed so hesitant to talk, but thought that he was just shy…or had a dirty secret. The hour was getting late so they were going when Matiyan asked Galcian, "you want to join our group?"

Galcian's brows went up involuntarily this time. He turned his head to look at Enrique, who shrugged.

"Group of what?" He asked, laughing.

Matiyan hesitated to answer. He could be just a flat-out, freaky guy, one of Haksa's henchmen, or both.

"We're," He started, "travelers to the land, seeing the great cities and getting wares to sell in Hyrule. What are you doing here?"

Galcian frowned.

"Were you listening to me?" he asked, "I told you I'm visiting my old friend over there."

There was a footstep close to him and his head whipped around as some other guy walked past. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"If you ladies are uncomfortable with me welcoming you into this town, I'll leave you be."

Ci-Ci had been silent this whole time, contemplating the situation her and her friends were in, but there was something about this man that attracted her. Not as if she were interested, but something told her he might be useful to them. She didn't have any clue how, but she wasn't about to dismiss her intuition. Her intuition, after all, had started her on this journey.

"Wait!" she called out, running after Galcian. "Wait!"

Ci-Ci caught up to the man and walked in front of him.

"You sure about that? We could really use someone..." she paused, thinking fast. Suddenly she edged herself even closer to Galcian and smiled slyly. "Someone," she continued, moving even closer,' as...strong and...er...handsome as you...what do you think?" she concluded, winking. This was possibly the most interesting moment of her life. She sure was resourceful..

Matiyan was wondering what was going on. He knew Ci-Ci never could trust someone that fast. She had known him for 2 years now and still didn't trust him all the way, so there was no way she could like someone that fast.

Galcian looked at the girl with no expression whatsoever. Then he laughed.

"Oh, my..." he said, pulling himself together." I'm sure you like older guys, but I think you're pushing it with an ol' man like me, hon."

He saw Enrique laughing on the other side of the street, but he also winked and nodded at Galcian. He got the message, nodded back to Enrique and called out him.

"I'll see you later... Ramirez," trying not to reveal his true identity.

He turned back to the group of pirates. "I'm curious about what your kids--apologies, ma'am," he nodded toward Cianna," As I say, I'm curious about what you people want me for. I feel like I'm being set up, but my life is slow and uneventful."

In the split second that he paused, there was a hand on his shoulder. He wheeled around, plunged his left hand into his coat and grabbed the man's neck with his right. The guy didn't put up any fight at all; he must not have been here to... be unfriendly. He took his hand out of his coat and let go of the choking guy's throat.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, patting the guy on the shoulder.

The man sprinted out from under Galcian's hand and down the street.  
Well, that wasn't good. The head jerks weren't that strange, but this would be hard to explain.

"It was a reflex..." he said uncomfortably.

Ciarra stepped back, a frightened look on her face. When Galcian let go of the man's neck, she stepped back up to him cautiously.

"We're not using you. But judging by what you just did," she paused and looked in the direction the man had run, "you've been through a lot, and can't afford not to be cautious. Am I right?"

Ci-Ci didn't bother to wait for an answer, and tilted her head down in a stern, yet playful expression, keeping her eyes directed up towards Galcian.

"And by the way...if I were you, I wouldn't refer to any of us- well, at least to me-" she said, glancing at Lan, "as a kid." She dropped her voice to a lurid whisper and finished, nodding, "I'm twenty-two, thank you very much"

"Whatever, honey," Galcian said to the girl." Well, I'll come with you guys then. Get to know you, make a few friends..."

He hated acting like this... he felt so stupid doing this. But he didn't have any other ideas, and he wasn't getting paid without doing this somehow. He just had to suck it up.

"It's settled then," Matiyan declared, "you will stay with us tonight."

They all agreed on it and rented a few rooms at the inn. Each room had two beds so Matiyan and Ci-Ci had a room and Galcian and Enquire had a room. Lan had family in clock town so she stayed with them. It was hard for Matiyan to get to sleep knowing that Galcian (who he thoughts name was Gregorio) was across the hall. He didn't know why but he trust Galcian as much as would trust anyone else he met. He lay down on his bed and fell fast asleep. He would need the rest for tomorrow.


	5. The Festival of Time part 1

A few weeks later the six went to town for the festival of time. The town was decorated with beautiful banners and tall pavilions with old Hylian on them. They said " The remembering of the old and the coming of the new" and some other wise-sayings. It was a brilliant sight to see, indeed.

Many people got married before or after the festival. They're given a couples mask and that symbolized their unity and togetherness. The races' all came together to make it a success. The Deku opened the clock tower door. The Goron made and shot the fireworks, and the Zora played the traditional sports and games. Peoples of all ages and races came to the festival.

The six walked to the main plaza and noticed something. The sports and games weren't happening. Matiyan saw Enquire walk into the locker room then he came running out.

" What's wrong?' Matiyan asked, "What happened?"

"I…don't…know." Enquire got out as he panted, " it looked like a shadow standing."

'Why now?' Matiyan thought, 'of all times he had to come now'

He ran into the room and the others followed. Haksa came out of the room and tackled Matiyan onto the field. The others ran to help but Haksa made a shield around him and Matiyan.

" You can kill me," he started, " but if you hurt Ci-Ci I'll never rest until your dying under my sword."

" Very well." The monster scowled as he charged.

Ciarra watched in horror as Matiyan once again fought the shadow that had haunted her dreams for so long. The dreams had frightened her,of course, but they ahd only been dreams, even if they had foretold something. She would much rather be having the dreams then see Matiyan hurt.

She clutched the pendant that had brought her comfort so many times and wondered what Haksa could possibly be after. With her hand so near to her heart she could feel it beating, quickened and unnatural.

Finally the moment came when she could no longer take it. Barely thinking she rushed down to the field, drawing her small sword from across her back.

"What do you want with him?" She screamed as she reached the shield around them Not bothering to think of the consequences, she struck the forcefield with her sword and was thrown back about a yard. Still, Ciarra got up, breathing hard.  
"Please…let him go..."


	6. The Festival of Time part 2

Matiyan heard Ciarra hitting the shield. He never thought she would care enough for someone to do that, especially for some random kid off the street. He couldn't think long because of the second rule of fighting. "Never take your eye off your opponent." The rules never failed him and they weren't going to now.

Haksa changed into a human form. His sword was sharp and deadly. Matiyan had sharpened his at the black smith's. They were able to make it as strong as an Ox charging at a toreador. ' Nothing can stop it,' they said, but they never met Haksa. He charged but Matiyan dodged his blow. Matiyan jumped and hit Haksa, but he countered and hit Matiyan with the flat of his blade. He flew to the ground and lay there. Haksa raised his sword but attacked the ground as Matiyan rolled out of the way.

Matiyan and Haksa continued to clash swords until Matiyan jumped and put the sword downward and stabbed Haksa in his head.

" You…" He started, " You're the one. Your father stopped me before and his father before that… That wasn't the last blow and this fight ISN"T OVER!"

He threw Matiyan off and sliced Matiyan's arm. Matiyan struck the ground with force. His face was gashed and his arm was too. It looked like it was over, but Matiyan stood up and dug his feet into the ground.

" No one trashes me," Matiyan started, " and no one beats me."

He ran to Haksa and struck him to the ground.

" And no one," he finished, "GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

He pounded his foe until Haksa said, "this isn't over." And he ran back at him.

Haksa pounded Matiyan with the flat of his blade. His ferocity was shown in his black, shadowy face, which scorned at Matiyan. The sickening, black void, which was his face, resembled that from the pictures of Ganon he had seen at the palace. He couldn't think long though, because Haksa then picked him up and threw him down. Matiyan hit ground with such force that his arm broke. His right arm.

" Ha ha ha," the shadow scowled, " you are no match to my power, young one. You are not the one I want, though. Ciarra, daughter of Cianna, the one who possesses the amethyst, is the one I want. That stone is the thing that sealed me for a hundred years and put me in torment. I will destroy it and put the world under my domination!"

"No," Matiyan replied, " not while I'm still breathing."

He jumped back on his feet and slashed his foe. He jumped and stabbed Haksa's back. The shadow yelled in a terrible voice that sounded like could crack glass. Haksa attacked Matiyan, but it was swiftly blocked the blow. He parried and rolled around the foe and sliced his legs.

Matiyan kicked Haksa onto the ground and pounded he until he stopped moving.

" This is over for now," Haksa started, " but I'll be back."

"And I'll be waiting." Matiyan ended.

Haksa disappeared and the shield with him. Matiyan fell face first and Ci-Ci came running over. She was glad to see that he was alive, but hoped it would stay that way.

" You'd," Matiyan started, " you'd better get me to a doctor."


	7. Saved part 1

Ciarra could feel her heart beating against her chest, so hard that it somewhat altered her breathing that was already quickened as a result of the frightening scene before her. She knelt down beside Matiyan just in time to hear his mumbled yet desperate request. His request need not even have been spoken, though, for it was already much too obvious that he needed a doctor quite badly. And soon.

Just the fact that he wasn't getting up was enough to hint that he needed medical attention, but the deep cuts from Haksa's sword on his face and nearly everywhere else and his limp, obviously broken arm almost drove Ciarra to tears. He didn't deserve this. He didn't have the amethyst, she did. Why could Haksa just leave him alone?

Ci-Ci heard soft footsteps and a small gasp that she instantly recognized as Lan's. Other times, she would've found something to scold her for, as she'd never been quite fond of her, but right then such matters seemed just as they were and always had been-ridiculous.

"Lan," she said, struggling to keep her voice strong and steady but aware that it would break soon enough," go get help. A doctor, someone to get him to a doctor. I don't care. Just please get help.."

Ciarra hadn't taken her eyes off of Matiyan's battered form, but when she did she saw Lan, slowly retreated backwards and gawking in wonder and worry at Matiyan. She was most likely wondering what on earth had happened to him, but this was not the time to wonder. This was a time to act.

"Run!" Ci-Ci nearly screamed at the girl, not out of anger, but out of urgency. She would've gone herself, but Lan, a Kokiri, was much smaller than her and therefore faster. And besides that, she wanted to be with Matiyan. She wanted to comfort him. She would've moved him onto his back, but it didn't seem the most intelligent thing to do considering his injuries. There was nothing she could do. Only wait.

Before she could think much more about this unfortunate situation, Matiyan was being carefully placed on a stretcher. Ciarra was quickly moved onto her feet from her kneeling position next to Matiyan by the people come to possibly save his life, and she rushed back over to him but was once again shoed away as he was carried off. Looking away sadly she noticed Lan, and walked over, touching her shoulder.

"Thank you, Lan. I-"

The Kokiri shook her head, cutting Ci-Ci off. "I'll show you where they're taking him," she said kindly."

Ciarra was relieved to her this. She hadn't been sure of how Lan would react to her thanking her.

Nothing made sense anymore. Haksa wasn't able to beat him, and supposedly it was foolish to fight him. He wondered why. Why had he joined Ciarra three years ago? Why had Gregorio really joined them? Was that even his name? He had plenty of time to think, since he wasn't sure if he'd live to see tomorrow.

Matiyan reached the hospital about as hopeless as anyone could possibly be. Ciarra almost got there before the doctor did. The doctor was of small stature and hated to have to work on the night of the festival. It was his job no matter what though, and he enjoyed it, nevertheless.

" Well, you don't look good," the doctor started, sounding worried " but I'll see what I can do."

He took a look at Matiyan's arm and his other injuries, mumbling to himself in a concerned tone as he did so.

"Your arm's broken, but I trust you knew that already," he reported. "Everything else will heal here in time. I'd say…6 months or so."

"6 MONTHS?" Matiyan replied, shocked. "You can't speed it up or anything?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor apologized, and I think your right arm might need a week longer than that."

"Perfect," Matiyan said sarcastically under his breath. "Just perfect."

Matiyan hated going to the doctor and hated bad news even more. He had gotten both in less than an hour. It happened so fast. He couldn't remember much of why he was even in the hospital.. Then Ciarra came in.

Ciarra's hurry to get to Matiyan was in vain, for the nurse wouldn't let her enter Matiyan's room. This came as a huge disappointment, leaving her nearly in tears, but the nurse tried her best to comfort her and promised that she'd see him as soon as the doctor was finished. Until then she'd have to wait patiently outside in the waiting area.

As soon as the nurse came out to speak to Ci-Ci, she hurried back towards the room, not even bothering to let the woman finish. Not once did she think of her hesitance to trust. That seemed so petty, so immature now.

Upon entering the room where Matiyan was being kept, she stopped abruptly for a moment and put a gentle hand to her mouth. This all seemed so unreal. Things had seemed bad when he had been lying face down, but now, with the bandages and cast, he seemed in even worse shape. She almost had to look away.

Ciarra rushed over to him and sat next to the bed, shaking her head in pity and disbelief. She had heard Haksa when he'd said that all he wanted was her amethyst, and she couldn't imagine why, but she assumed that it had to be for evil purposes. Because of that, she wasn't about to give it up without a fight, and if she were to fight Haksa he would no doubt kill her. And so Matiyan had fought for her…

Not able to contain herself any longer, she looked away has a few tears fell down her face. Turning back to Matiyan she put a hand to his shoulder and, not really knowing what to do, let it drop down and drew it back towards herself.

"Matiyan, look at you.." she said softly, then added, raising her voice slightly, " You could've been killed..and if you died protecting me, I'd-"

Realizing what she had said, she quickly stopped herself. Maybe he hadn't been protecting her. Maybe he just knew that Haksa couldn't get her pendant. And perhaps the fact that he had been fighting to protect her was just her own wishful thinking.

"What I meant was…I…I feel since the pendant is mine, I should be responsible for it and for keeping it away from Haksa, and if something were to happen to you while you were fighting to keep it away from him…well...I...don't know what I'd do…" Ciarra finished quickly, her voice growing quieter as she did so. She was aware that she had been rambling on, something she only did when she was nervous. Yet stills he felt the need to add one more thing.

"That…is…why you were fighting, right…?" She added in subconscious hope that someone had been fighting to protect her. Looking down at her feet, she held tightly to the pendant that seemed to have caused all this.

" I fight so you can live," Matiyan replied, " you mustn't blame your self. I will stay with you until the end of my days. And that won't be today. "

Matiyan grasped Ciarra's hand and put his other hand in it.

" If you keep your hope, you become more powerful than Haksa will ever be."

Matiyan rested his head.

Ciarra looked down at her own hand, grasped in Matiyan's. She was no doubt surprised at his sudden gesture, but she wasn't about to complain. It was comforting to her, and although it seemed that Matiyan needed the comforting right then, she needed it as well. Her worry for him was to blame.

Not only could she not believe what he had just done, even though for some it wouldn't have been anything to think about, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was basically pledging his life to her, and she couldn't see why.

"You fight so I can live...why?" she said, her curiosity driving her to look up at Matiyan's face. "Why would you fight for me? What did I do to deserve that?"

Ci-Ci suddenly second guessed herself, wondering if what she had said was rude. But she was determined to speak her mind, and to express her sincerity, she squeezed Matiyan's hand gently, enjoying the feeling of her hand in his.

"Ciarra," Matiyan started, "you mean everything to me. I've never had a friend as good as you. If you died… I'd never forgive myself. If anyone is to die first, it's me. That's why I fight. That's why I devoted myself for your safety."

He heard himself answering his own question. He loved Ciarra deep down and knew that if Haksa killed her before he did him he wouldn't rest until Haksa was equalized. He was starting to feel his scrapes and bruises healing. He could move a little bit better and he lifted his broken arm. The cast was helping but he knew it would be awhile.

Matiyan's words took Ciarra by surprise yet left her hopeful but confused. Were there hidden meanings to what he was saying, or was it all meant to be taken the way it was being said?

"….you mean everything to me…"

Hearing these words sent her stomach doing back flips. She'd never really heard anyone say that she meant everything to them. It seemed ridiculous. Why care that much for someone when they haven't ever done anything for you?

"I've never had a friend as good as you.."

These words had a slightly different affect. Ci-Ci took this sentence and broke it down, analyzing every word. One word, however, she paid more attention to than the rest. "Friend." That word echoed inside her mind, reminding her why she had always been so unwilling trust. She knew, deep down, that she couldn't let herself get close to people. It just set her up for disappointment. She was only being let down.

Since she had first realized how she felt about Matiyan she had hoped that he felt that way too. Maybe a little more than just a friend. But it wasn't looking like she Ciarra was going to get her wish…

"I've never had a friend as good as you.."

These words had a slightly different affect. Ci-Ci took this sentence and broke it down, analyzing every word. One word, however, she paid more attention to than the rest. "Friend." That word echoed inside her mind, reminding her why she had always been so unwilling trust. She knew, deep down, that she couldn't let herself get close to people. It just set her up for disappointment. She was only being let down.


	8. Saved part 2

Since she had first realized how she felt about Matiyan she had hoped that he felt that way too, maybe a little more than just a friend. But it wasn't looking like she Ciarra was going to get her wish…

Ci-Ci's hand seemed to go limp in Matiyan's for a moment while she contemplated these things.

Looking down once more, she scolded herself for this immature behavior and forced herself to think of Matiyan's current condition, and not her own wishes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

Once back to the reality of the small, white hospital room, she gently slid her hand out of his and rested it on the bed next to where it had been held so securely.

" Good. About as good as someone with scrapes, gashes and a broken arm can."

Matiyan laughed. He knew Ciarra was getting uncomfortable and changed the subject so she wouldn't cry. He knew a lot about her but, as she probable thought, a little too much. How she would get mad at the very sight of Lan. How her locket would shine near the mountains. How she had these terrible dreams and still had energy the next day.

Matiyan could remember vaguely the days before he met Ciarra. They were filled with days of joy and sadness. Sad that his parents would always be away on some diplomacy mission, but happy when he out-smarted Cianna in swordplay practice. He didn't think of it much since Haksa attacked, though. All he could think about was how to stop him and free the people of his carnage.

" How are you feeling?"

Ciarra sighed, not knowing exactly how to answer Matiyan's simple question.

"Good…for someone who witnessed someone that they care about being beaten relentlessly, and then was worried nearly to the point of tears can," She said, forcing a smile. She looked at him straight, wondering if he'd gotten her hint.

" Ciarra…"

Matiyan was kind of shocked, but in a good way. He always liked Ciarra he knew she probable liked him. Ciarra meant the world to him and he would never have let her out of his sight. Ciarra was his only friend, so he knew he'd always watch out for her. Matiyan then hugged her.

"… I love you more than anything. I've had friends, but they're all gone, and you're not going to be one of them!"

Ciarra's eyes widened. She had definitely not been expecting that. Even if it was just a hug, the words that came before it where more than she could take.

Gradually she came to her senses and hugged Matiyan back, a small smile playing on her lips. She closed her eyes and sighed, pulling away slightly.

"You…love me?"

" Yes," He replied, " after these years… I've wanted to say that since we started this journey. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Inside and out."

Indeed Ciarra is! How her long black hair would fly in the wind. Her beautiful brown eyes that look as the stars at night; her smile that shone happiness to all people around her; her witty sense of humor that no one could deny. How hard working she is and how nice she can be. How could one not love her?

" I love you from the bottom of my heart, Ciarra."

He kissed her.

Ciarra suddenly felt light headed and dizzy, and the room began to spin. To stop it from doing so, she closed her eyes and, quite amazed, kissed Matiyan back. Her mind was now spinning with thoughts of what Matiyan had said of her; about her beauty and that he loved her from the bottom of her heart. It was spinning as the room had been before she and shut her eyes as she experienced the one thing that she had subconsciously hoped would happen since that fateful day a few years ago.

She couldn't bring herself to believe the things that he had said right away. Ciarra had never really thought of herself as beautiful, but very plain. Her hair hung limp with very few curls, like a lifeless piece of rubbish, and her eyes were brown, not a color that she would immediately consider pretty. And inside was just about the same. How could someone who was so mixed up inside be beautiful there as well? She was always unsure of herself, always in a different mood. Nothing about her seemed consistent, and she was quick to cry.

But despite what Ci-Ci thought of her, Matiyan, the one person whose opinion of her mattered to her, still thought of her as beautiful. So she forced herself to believe it.

Pulling away from the heaven that had been Matiyan's kiss, Ci-Ci opened her eyes. Much to her surprise, the room was no longer spinning and the lightheaded feeling was almost completely gone. In their place was a wonderful, warm feeling.

"I…love you, too," she said shyly, looking down. As she shifted her gaze she noticed a faint glow being emitted from her pendant. Looking back up at him, she smiled.

" And I you," Matiyan replied, " but I must rest, for now, anyway. Do take care of the others?"

So he laid his head down and slept, thinking of one thing: what would have happened if he never met Ciarra? The one that brought him joy. The one that makes him laugh. The one that no one else could compare to… He'd probable be wandering. Searching for nothing. Maybe he would have joined the army. Perhaps he would have gone and fought against Haksa anyway.

The world's crazy and no one knows what would have happened. But all he wanted was to do now was sleep.

And he did just that.

Ciarra smiled and nodded. She would take care of the others for him. She would do anything for Matiyan. Anything.

Still in partial disbelief from the events that had just taken place, Ci-Ci sat and waited until she was sure that Matiyan was asleep. Once he was, she looked at him for a moment, then kissed him softly on the cheek and whispered, "Good night."

As she walked out into the hall she smiled.

Once back at the Stock Pot Inn which was where they had all agreed to spend the night before all of this had happened and was, quite conveniently, not far at all from the hospital where Matiyan was staying, she headed straight around back to check on ShadowFire. She was sure that the others had had enough sense and common courtesy to take her horse back with them and put him up for the night when they had left for the inn, but she just wanted to be sure.

Ciarra thought of her other companions and wondered if they had become at all curious as to her staying at the hospital for so long. She wondered if they had even been there, or if they had just been waiting for her to come back to them and give them word as to how Matiyan was fairing. If one of them had, in fact, been to the hospital, they no doubt would've gone to Matiyan's room, and yet no one had come in. What if someone had been in the doorway of the room, about to come in, and had seen the interesting words and actions taking place between she and Matiyan? Embarrassed even by the though, she immediately shook it out of her mind.

Once at the stables, Ci-Ci entered and was thrilled to find ShadowFire standing up in a stall. In the darkness and against his jet black figure she couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed, but when he whinnied in response to her moving closer to him, her question was answered. Soundlessly so as not to wake or frighten any of the other animals being boarded there she opened up the stable door and walked in, taking her horses muzzle and hugging it to her cheek.

"Oh, ShadowFire, hello," she whispered happily.

ShadowFire snorted his response and kicked at the ground with his hoof, happy to see his friend again. He neighed quite loudly, and a few rustles could be heard from a few of the other stalls.

"Shh, dear," Ciarra muttered, giggling. She stroked his neck and kissed his muzzle. "Just wait until you hear what happened."

And, without even a word to her other companions, Ciarra proceeded to explain the night's events to her jet-black companion, now not the only one she could trust


	9. The History of Matiyan part 1

During that month, Matiyan had a fast recovery, but not nearly fast enough. The group heard of a hag in the swamp who created healing potions, so they saw her. She was oddly nice and gave them a red elixir that healed Matiyan almost instantly. Even with his wounds gone and his arm mended, a scar from the battle under his left eye remained.

It was a month after the incident that Matiyan started to wonder: what had happened those many years ago? When he was in training in Hyrule. For the answers he needed, he went to Cianna, his caretaker in those times. Now the others and he were in Goron City, awaiting orders from the king. He asked Ciarra to go with him and she excepted. They walked by awesomely carved statues of the great kings of the past. How similar they looked to the current king was uncanny. Most of the Gorons looked the same to them, in Hyrule and Termina, but the king was different.

" Cianna," Matiyan started as he entered her quarters, " can you tell what happened those many years ago, when I was first training in the canyon?"

" Well sure," she replied, " just tell me when you start to remember."

I remember you were about 6 then. I had just finished an expedition to the canyon and was walking to the market when I found you lying on the ground, crying...

" Hey there, what are you doing here?"

" M-m-my parents left h-home and dropped me-me here."

I thought that was the saddest thing I ever heard and took pity on you. I took you to a hotel and clamed you down. They recognized the people I described as the king's advisors who had just left. So to make a long story short I took care of you until I found another child named Jaynek, that was a little older than you were, two years later. I thought I would need to teach you self-defense so I bought a few small, wooden swords so you guys wouldn't get hurt...

" Now keep your guard up, Matiyan. Don't let Jaynek hit you,"

Matiyan blocked the blow Jaynek lashed upon him. They jumped back and put their guard up as Cianna attacked them. They blocked the blows with a click from wood hitting wood.

" Good job," Cianna congratulated, " now rest and get some water."

That was nice after a long day, getting some water. Nice, cold, fresh water to cool you of after a long day of training. It's cool, refreshing touch on your lips that could clam an angry temper.

You were the fastest learners I'd ever seen. Jaynek the most skillful 9-year-old I'd ever seen.

Matiyan and Ciarra sat and listened intently to her words. Matiyan remembered Jaynek. He was tall for his age. At 9 he was about 4 foot-11 and had black hair like Ciarra's. His skin looked darker than his but not like a did. He had tough hands that could grasp a sword tightly. Matiyan would have stopped her, but he wanted to hear more.

We trained for 2 more years, until the king went mad. He sent his army to destroy the countryside until he was satisfied. Unfortunately, we were the lucky ones who got to help fight him, along side with the rebels. The kings army consisted of mainly Gorons and Hylians so it would be a tough fight if we planed on winning.

" All right," Cianna said as she explained to the Gerudo and other rebels, " their going to come at 0600 so we have 12 hours to prepare. They out number us 5 to 1, so conventional warfare won't work. We need traps and diversions to stop the king from destroying even more. So, any ideas?"

The rebels looked amongst themselves, wondering what they could make.

" We could make," Matiyan answered, "a giant hole and cover it with grass, like hunters use."

" Hmm," She thought, " that would work, I suppose. Anything else?"

And so this continued for about a half an hour, until they decided to build the traps. So the building went on and on, until it was 2300. They needed rest, so they slept until 0500. They got out of bed and had a quick breakfast. A half-hour later, the rebels took their positions. Matiyan was both excited and terrified. It was his first real battle was the exciting part, and the fact it was his first real battle was the terrifying part.


	10. The History of Matiyan part 2

0600. Right on cue, the king's army started to march. The step, step, step of the solder boots could make the sturdiest man feel weak. 5000 to 1000, weren't good odds, hands down. Their army was made of the finest men you'd ever see on the battlefield. The Gorons rolled like tanks in to a large grassy field that was Hyrule field.

They stopped. The loud, almost annoying sounds of the boots were gone. But then, the sound shifted to the sound of the spears of the enemy dropping and charging. The battle started.

As he listened, Matiyan remembered that day, and losses he took.

Ciarra continued to listen to her mother's story, but shook her head slightly as she realized all the things that had been happening while she struggled through each and every day, wondering how much longer she could go without food and where she'd sleep that night. Ever since her father had died, every day had been like a nightmare. Stealing and hiding away had built a wall around her, and that was part of the reason Ciarra had so much trouble trusting people. When she was younger she never spoke to anyone as openly as most did. How was she to know that the next person she would share herself with wouldn't be someone hired by a merchant or even the king himself to stop the young thief from doing what she had to stay alive.

She still remembered all too clearly the night her father had died. He had died protecting her…right in front of her eyes. There were times that she felt like dying herself because she couldn't shake the image from her mind. As soon as she had seen him fall and rushed neither over to him, only to find that he wouldn't answer her nor breath, she had run. All night, it had seemed, she had run. Run from what or to what she didn't know, but she had run just the same.

Perhaps that was why she was so afraid of Matiyan fighting for her. She was afraid that he would suffer the same ate her father had. And if Matiyan died for her, she wouldn't run. She would die as well. For what good would it be to remain living without Matiyan?

"As the battle began, the men in the back fired their arrows to cripple the king's force.

As the battle raged on, Matiyan and Jaynek rode forward on horseback to the menacing foe. They slashed down their swords as the rode through the army. They jumped about five yards away from the enemies for no apparent reason. But when some of the soldiers ran to catch them. They fell into a trap as Matiyan planed. They continued to do this, as the foes didn't seem to learn from their mistakes. But after the dropped the last trap, ten possessed Gorons surrounded them making it impossible to escape.

" Impossible," Matiyan said with confidence, " eh Jaynek?"

" Looks like it" He replied, " let's go"

Jaynek jumped and stabbed one of the Gorons as Matiyan slid under one and slashed it. Jaynek and Matiyan did a move they practiced all the time: kishoke vakonktra, which means righteous sword.

" Ready?" Matiyan asked.

" Go now!"

Matiyan jumped off of Jaynek's back and stabbed one Goron. Jaynek ran to one and dodged its blow and paired with a slash. The two switched places and swapped swords to stab two more. But their luck didn't stay. One of the Gorons bashed Jaynek to the ground before Matiyan killed it. Four more to go. He grabbed Jaynek's sword and to stab one of the monsters and rolled in to an attack on the other. He killed another one, but the last one was able to dodge and uppercut Matiyan right in the gut.

On the other battlefront, Ciarra was doing well with her men. She had slain 20 of the spirits with her curved blade. She had just a few foes left in her area that her men took care of swiftly. She saw that Matiyan and Jaynek were being killed so she ran, but then the enemy brought in a battering ram to make a roadblock that she couldn't get through. She got the remainder of her men to concentrate all power on that roadblock. They brought it down with ease, but when she went over to Matiyan and Jaynek's position, they were gone.

" So that was the last I saw of you until last year," Ciarra concluded, " now I'd like to know what happened to you."

Matiyan remembered what happened then, but he wished he hadn't.

" Well the way I remember it is…"

Matiyan fell to the ground, grabbing his stomach. He could hardly take the force of the punch that nailed him right in his weak point. He got up and the Goron took a sword he had and raised it in the air. He lashed it down at Matiyan, but then, Jaynek push him out of the way, but got the blow him self. In anger, Matiyan yelled as he was in the air and punched the monster. He kicked the sword out of his hand and stabbed the beast with it. He ran to Jaynek's side, but saw he was already dead. He buried him behind the palace where no one could find him.

He cried.

Ciarra lowered her head in sadness as Matiyan spoke of Jaynek's death. When he had first started talking about him, she had decided that he sounded very much like someone she would like to meet in the future. Her hopes of this had now disappeared.

Yet still, she was somewhat happy for the fact that Jaynek had not died in vain. He had been killed defending Matiyan, and that was a fairly good reason to her. But the fact that he list his life defending someone made more urgent Ci-Ci's fear of Matiyan dying for her.

Her head still lowered, the warmth of tears pushing softly behind her eyes, she said a silent prayer of thanks to Jaynek.

Matiyan remembered that day and his fallen comrade. He remembered the days he spent practicing with him and playing with him. He was the only friend he ever had before meeting Ciarra and didn't know what he'd do without her. She meant everything to him and he would take Jaynek's place if he were defending Ciarra.

" So that's what happened," Matiyan solemnly said, " after that I went to find you, Cianna, but I never did so I went back to see if my parents were home. They weren't so I had to find a home that I could call my own. But that home was a wall in the market place. I tried to become a mercenary as I grew up, but no one excepted my abilities and didn't believe me when I said I fought in the rebellion. I was about 19 when I found Ciarra…" And him told Cianna the rest of the story.

" Well Matiyan, I want to tell you something I wanted to say for a long time."

Matiyan listened.

" The people that left you," Cianna said, " They're not your parents."

Matiyan took a shock. So many questions filled his head but he knew Cianna would answer them.

"Your real parents were members of the elite guard and members of the royal family. Your father's name is Andiyan and your mother's is Heathra. They were great fighters and never gave up when they were on a mission. But they had to leave to fight Haksa for a long time when you were 6 so they entrusted those people with your safety. They didn't do a good job. But that's all I know. I heard all that shortly after the battle when I was looking for you…and Jaynek."

Matiyan thought about all the things she said and replied, " Are they still alive?"

" I don't know."

There was a long silence.

" We need to go back," he said, "we must go back to Hyrule and try to find my parents."


End file.
